The Philippine Government’s (GRP) Peace Negotiating
Panel with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front
(MILF) discussed the prospects of peace
talks with the Liberal Party (LP) on 25 April 2011.
The forum is part of the consultations that the
Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP)
is holding with stakeholders to involve them in and build ownership
of the process. “The failed MOA-AD was a particular experience
of not having done enough consultations. Hence, the President
has given clear guidelines that the negotiation has to be as transparent
as possible,” explained Secretary Ging Deles.
The Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domains
(MOA-AD) “speaks of the relationship between the Bangsamoro
Judicial Entity and the Philippine government as associative,
implying an international relationship and therefore suggesting
an autonomous state. This goes beyond what the present Constitution
has set up.” Bangsamoro refers to the native or original
inhabitants of Mindanao.
GRP Negotiating Panel Chair Marvic Leonen is optimistic that
a fundamental political agreement can be achieved. “The
devil is in the details. We will talk about the particulars
of all the suggestions in the formal resumption of the talks,”
he said. The Panel flew to Malaysia for the peace talks with MILF
on 26 April 2011.
